Comments for Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com How IT can make the world a greener place Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:41:44 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Urban EcoMap (Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!) by Connected Urban Development « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/urban-ecomap-now-thats-what-im-talkin-about/#comment-59 Connected Urban Development « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:41:44 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=568#comment-59 [...] Urban EcoMap (Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!) [...] [...] Urban EcoMap (Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!) [...]

]]> Comment on Eco-Visualization by Sustainability as Key Driver of Innovation « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/eco-visualization/#comment-56 Sustainability as Key Driver of Innovation « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:04:29 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=90#comment-56 [...] changing beliefs and attitudes about the environment, e.g., via eco-visualization; [...] [...] changing beliefs and attitudes about the environment, e.g., via eco-visualization; [...]

]]> Comment on IS Innovation for Environmental Sustainability by Sustainability as Key Driver of Innovation « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/is-innovation-for-environmental-sustainability/#comment-55 Sustainability as Key Driver of Innovation « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:03:26 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=462#comment-55 [...] IS Innovation for Environmental Sustainability [...] [...] IS Innovation for Environmental Sustainability [...]

]]> Comment on 98% > 2% by Ajit Sharma http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/98-2/#comment-47 Ajit Sharma Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:23:14 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=384#comment-47 Excellent presentation and an eye opener. Thanks for posting it Prof. Melville. Coming from a month long trip to India, can't help but wonder: 1) How can the Base of the Pyramid (BOP)internalize these concepts? 2) Is this conversation tranferable to/intended for, the BOP segment? 3) Does someone have a breakup of how much the BOP pollutes versus the TOP (top of the Pyramid)? Excellent presentation and an eye opener. Thanks for posting it Prof. Melville.

Coming from a month long trip to India, can’t help but wonder:
1) How can the Base of the Pyramid (BOP)internalize these concepts?
2) Is this conversation tranferable to/intended for, the BOP segment?
3) Does someone have a breakup of how much the BOP pollutes versus the TOP (top of the Pyramid)?

]]> Comment on VC Shift from Alternative Energy to Energy Efficiency by Sandeep http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/vc-shift-from-alternative-energy-to-energy-efficiency/#comment-38 Sandeep Wed, 20 May 2009 18:41:30 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=341#comment-38 It is okay to follow the traditional footsteps and play it safe when it comes to returning to investing in energy efficiency at a time when the gas prices are low and the economy is struggling to shine. However when the gas prices touch the sky again, the cry for alternative fuels will again surge. Because that seems to be the best thing to do at that moment. Therefore, there is a need to not just focus on short term solutions but keep in sight the need for an overhaul of energy solutions and need to bring sustainability on the main front. It is okay to follow the traditional footsteps and play it safe when it comes to returning to investing in energy efficiency at a time when the gas prices are low and the economy is struggling to shine.

However when the gas prices touch the sky again, the cry for alternative fuels will again surge. Because that seems to be the best thing to do at that moment.

Therefore, there is a need to not just focus on short term solutions but keep in sight the need for an overhaul of energy solutions and need to bring sustainability on the main front.

]]> Comment on NY Times on Smart Infrastructure by Lee S, Walker http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/ny-times-on-smart-infrastructure/#comment-36 Lee S, Walker Mon, 11 May 2009 11:20:05 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=325#comment-36 The biggest IT solution the NYT has not covered is Automated Rapid Transit. Vast energy savings will be gained when high-speed smaller more efficient rail trams proliferate, for both national and local travel, up to 150 mph. Public transit's main weakness is that huge/heavy vehicles were needed to maximize passenger to driver ratio. (also stopping to load and unload other passengers at each corner kept transit slow) Automated trams systems will be much lower cost because ultra-light rail trams do not need heavy/costly infrastructure. IT transit will also be much faster than driving, because passengers will usually be matched with a tram going to their exact destination with minimum. IT will also make it possible for private and cargo vehicles to share the grade-separated rails with transit, and rail transportation is vastly more efficient than road and tire-based vehicles. With IT, colisons will be unheard of. These improvements mean that some new trams systems will actually power themselves produce EXTRA electricity simply from solar panels on the guideway/ROW. But automated transit has been floundering IN THE U.S. because federal leadership/approval is required. The single-most practical technology, http://Cybertran.com, was created with U.S. sponsorship but privatized and abandoned after 2000. Private investment is warranted, but without news coverage and more govt. encouragement, foreign nations/companies are now trying to take the lead in automated transit. Meanwhile, much of the stimulus is being wasted on outdated inefficient infrastructure projects that will cost our environment and economy, and slow the adoption of automated transit that is needed to end oil-dependency, and the ONLY realistic way to cut the the transportation component of GW. This is why the U.S. made the design of automated trams a priority over a decade ago. The biggest IT solution the NYT has not covered is Automated Rapid Transit. Vast energy savings will be gained when high-speed smaller more efficient rail trams proliferate, for both national and local travel, up to 150 mph.
Public transit’s main weakness is that huge/heavy vehicles were needed to maximize passenger to driver ratio. (also stopping to load and unload other passengers at each corner kept transit slow)
Automated trams systems will be much lower cost because ultra-light rail trams do not need heavy/costly infrastructure. IT transit will also be much faster than driving, because passengers will usually be matched with a tram going to their exact destination with minimum. IT will also make it possible for private and cargo vehicles to share the grade-separated rails with transit, and rail transportation is vastly more efficient than road and tire-based vehicles. With IT, colisons will be unheard of.
These improvements mean that some new trams systems will actually power themselves produce EXTRA electricity simply from solar panels on the guideway/ROW.

But automated transit has been floundering IN THE U.S. because federal leadership/approval is required. The single-most practical technology, http://Cybertran.com, was created with U.S. sponsorship but privatized and abandoned after 2000. Private investment is warranted, but without news coverage and more govt. encouragement, foreign nations/companies are now trying to take the lead in automated transit.

Meanwhile, much of the stimulus is being wasted on outdated inefficient infrastructure projects that will cost our environment and economy, and slow the adoption of automated transit that is needed to end oil-dependency, and the ONLY realistic way to cut the the transportation component of GW. This is why the U.S. made the design of automated trams a priority over a decade ago.

]]> Comment on UbiGreen: Positive Feedback for Low Carbon Travel by NY Times on Smart Infrastructure « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/ubigreen-positive-feedback-for-low-carbon-travel/#comment-32 NY Times on Smart Infrastructure « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:41:21 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=208#comment-32 [...] is helpful but seemed too IBM-centric. Inclusion of other applications like Google Power Meter or UbiGreen would have made this sexier to readers rounded out the [...] [...] is helpful but seemed too IBM-centric. Inclusion of other applications like Google Power Meter or UbiGreen would have made this sexier to readers rounded out the [...]

]]> Comment on Google Power Meter by NY Times on Smart Infrastructure « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/google-power-meter/#comment-31 NY Times on Smart Infrastructure « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:41:14 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=117#comment-31 [...] piece is helpful but seemed too IBM-centric. Inclusion of other applications like Google Power Meter or UbiGreen would have made this sexier to readers rounded out the [...] [...] piece is helpful but seemed too IBM-centric. Inclusion of other applications like Google Power Meter or UbiGreen would have made this sexier to readers rounded out the [...]

]]> Comment on UbiGreen: Positive Feedback for Low Carbon Travel by sustain » Blog Archive » UbiGreen Transportation Display Presented at CHI2009 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/ubigreen-positive-feedback-for-low-carbon-travel/#comment-26 sustain » Blog Archive » UbiGreen Transportation Display Presented at CHI2009 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:12:45 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=208#comment-26 [...] UbiGreen: Positive Feedback for Low Carbon Travel [...] [...] UbiGreen: Positive Feedback for Low Carbon Travel [...]

]]> Comment on Google Power Meter by Stimulus Bill « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability http://greeningit.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/google-power-meter/#comment-25 Stimulus Bill « Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:40:20 +0000 http://greeningit.wordpress.com/?p=117#comment-25 [...] $ is going toward IT that creates cascade effects, such as providing a platform for energy management software. Less is allocated to lowering the power consumption of computers. This makes sense given the [...] [...] $ is going toward IT that creates cascade effects, such as providing a platform for energy management software. Less is allocated to lowering the power consumption of computers. This makes sense given the [...]

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